Brian Sommers

AbstractsByBrian.com

Artist's Biography
I am committed to abstraction. The works of Jonas Gerard, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Lana L. Grow, Agnes Trachet, Virginia Cobb, Mike Inman, Ben Georgia, Sam Havens, Mary Todd Beam and Pat Dews have a strong impact on me.
I don’t try to depict reality, I rely on color, contrast and texture to convey my feelings and make things visible. I spend a lot of time observing to absorb some details that I will use as a starting point for an abstraction. I love experimenting and am always looking for new techniques. I start a painting in varied ways, sometimes with simple color washes and lifts to start breaking up the space and then look for shapes to lead me to the next step. Others I start with a layer of collage, sand and impasto before developing the work with subtle layers of intermixed colors in acrylic. I use a variety of mixed materials to create a surface that I am passionate about. I incorporate geometrical shapes, lines, scratches, brush marks and movements.
I was born in Canton, OH and grew up in Sarasota, FL. I currently reside in Westcliffe, CO. I started my artistic journey, March of 2008 and continue to put out new paintings.